


Cruel Intentions

by Korrasami_Enthusiast



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Canon Compliant, Equalist Asami Sato, Eventual Smut, F/F, POV First Person, Slow Burn, but also sorta not?, duh it’s equalist Asami!!, no beta we die like men!!, sorta light hearted?, then it diverges, up to a point, you guys will survive though
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-18 08:27:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29731110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Korrasami_Enthusiast/pseuds/Korrasami_Enthusiast
Summary: My name is Asami Sato, and this is the story of how I fell in love with my soulmate…who is also the Avatar…while simultaneously trying to destroy her.
Relationships: (Fake Mako/Asami sato), Bolin & Asami Sato, Bolin & Korra & Mako & Asami Sato, Korra & Asami Sato, Korra/Asami Sato, Mako & Asami Sato
Comments: 18
Kudos: 52





	1. Message to the Reader (yes Korra, I'm talking to you)

I suppose I should start from the beginning.

It’s what my mother would do, and in many ways, this story is about her. Or rather it’s _inspired_ by her. So, I guess it’s only right to start this in a way that she would. (in retrospect, it’s amazing how inspirational loss can be, isn’t it? Nothing strokes the sweet embers of rage and vengeance quite like the loss of a loved one or a precious valuable or even, per se, an identity. But I digress). 

I’ve never really been good at storytelling though. Often times, my emotions and opinions get the best of me and I end up warping the facts to fit my own personal narrative. I say this to suggest that anyone who is reading should certainly take the details of this story, _my_ story, with a grain of salt. Or don’t. I wouldn’t care either way. As long as it’s known that I am _not_ here to push any sort of agenda. I am simply reflecting on a tumultuous period of Republic City history and my involvement in it as I struggled to find my own place in the world. Now, where was I? Oh right, my mother.

Honestly, I’ve never been good at emulating any of the qualities my mother possessed. Brave, intelligent, strong-willed, passionate. I am (or, as my girlfriend so often corrects me, _was_ ) somehow all of those things, but like, in the worst way possible.

Where my mother was brave in fighting for the well-being of others, I was brave in putting my life on the line for a man who held little to no regard for my soul, for a movement that vowed to disable people whose only fault had been to be born benders. While my mother used her intelligence as a way of navigating herself and others through the ever-changing scope of the modern world, I utilized mine as a weapon. I mastered the arts of lying and cunning, my mouth becoming a razor-sharp knife that could be used to slice through any opponents who dared defy me, my fists picking up the slack when my mouth no longer cut it. And where my mother was strong-willed and passionate about doing the _actual_ right thing, I was passionate about pushing an agenda that I so solidly _believed_ was the right thing. I didn’t care who I hurt or what damage I caused. Everything I did was to avenge my mother. It’s funny how in doing so, I became the thing I hated the most.

I guess the main reason I’m writing this story (other than the fact that my girlfriend is _incredibly_ persistent about hearing my take on things) is for…closure.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve kept things tucked inside for fear of being a burden to others with my emotions. It’s something I picked up from my father. I never imagined how dangerous it could be though. Over the years I’ve been bottling all my feelings up into this can, sealed tight and shaken this way and that way as I tackled problem after problem. Eventually the pressure on the inside might become too much. I’m due to burst open any day now; I can feel it. I don’t want to wake up one day and just _explode_ , losing everything I’ve worked so hard for in the past year. I want to ease the lid open, let the carbonation of hurt and rage escape one small bubble at a time. And according to Tenzin, the best way to do that is apparently…writing? I don’t know, but I trust him. He’s been nothing but kind to me, even though he had a million and one reasons not to be when he first met me…like, the _real_ me.

So, here it goes, I guess.

My name is Asami Sato, and this is the story of how I fell in love with my soulmate…who is also the Avatar…while simultaneously trying to destroy her.   
  


(And honey, I apologize in advance for some of my earlier… _descriptions_ of you. I was a fool; I admit that now. But hey, at least you get to read about me falling for you! That has to count for something…right?)


	2. The Reason:Prologue

The candle perched atop my nightstand casted a warm, orange glow over the room. It was too dim to see the intricate details of the objects it illuminated, only just enough light to make out their basic shapes so that one would be able to maneuver around them. There was a slight breeze from my window that made the candle flame flicker, and I watched in awe as the shadows danced and trapezed along my bedroom wall, feeling as though I was being allowed to witness some super-secret routine that the candle spirits put on just for me.

Or maybe it wasn’t for me. Maybe they were performing for my mother the way they did every night, and I, being her daughter and therefore an extension of her in some way, was just lucky enough to catch a glimpse of their act. Either way, I was ecstatic to bear witness to it.

“Arms in or out, my love?” My mother asked the way she always did before she tucked me in at night. And I would scrunch my face and pretend to think really hard about it, as if I wouldn’t give her the same exact answer.

“In!” I would scream, and laugh prematurely, tensing my stomach for the incoming tickle attack that was sure to follow.

After I was securely tucked in, my arms pinned to the mattress just the way I liked them, she would cuddle into my side and stroke my hair as she told me a story until I fell asleep. That night, her last night, she would recite my favorite story.

“Tell me again about soulmates mama?” I asked in a whisper, my voice drowsy with sleep but still fighting to stay awake so that I could hear her recount the age-old tale.

She laughed softly. I still remember feeling the small puffs of air tickle my forehead, immediately followed by her hand coming up to stroke my hair from my face.

“It actually all started right here. In Republic City. Or rather the area Republic City is now situated in. Do you remember what situated means?”

“It means to be in a certain place.” I answered confidently.

She smiled down at me. A smile full of motherly love and adoration.

“Yes, my love. Very good. And remember how I told you that sometimes, one word can have multiple different meanings?”

I nodded, snuggling deeper into her chest so that I could be lulled to sleep by the rumble of her voice as she spoke.

“Well, in some instances, ‘situate’ means to put something in context. To describe the circumstances surrounding something. When it comes to Republic City, these two separate meanings are very important.”

She pressed a series of gentle kisses against my forehead and squeezed her arms around me before she continued on with the story.

“The area in which Republic City is situated in has always been special. During the era of Raava, the small tribe of humans here were protected by the guardian spirt, Lady Tienhai. She protected the settlement for thousands of years. By the time of Avatar Yangchen, the settlement had become part of the earth kingdom and transformed into the grandest city in the world.”

I shifted in the bed impatiently, eager for her to get to my favorite part of the story before I drifted off to sleep against my will, her melodic, soft voice being my undoing.

My mother laughed and gave my hair another affectionate stroke.

“Patience, my love. I know beginnings are boring to you, but they are very important. One must always know the beginning of a story so that they can be true to their roots. For what is a building without a foundation? What is a soul without a background? Never judge someone without knowing their full story, Asami.”

She laughed at my petulant pout, shaking her head. I didn’t understand the significance of her words at the time, but I assumed that one day it would sink in, once I was older. Most likely, we both figured we had more time for me to understand her infinite wisdom. But at that moment, I didn’t want to hear about beginnings; I wanted to hear about love.

“Very well. I’ll skip the start for tonight. Now, where was I?”

“Lady Tienhai.” I said excitedly.

“Oh, of course. Lady Tienhai.”

I snuggled back into her side, reassuming my comfortable position and encouraging her to continue stroking my hair.

“So, fast forward several thousand years and the grand city is overseen by a king. As a young prince, he was gifted with great curiosity and energy, which led to him becoming a talented scientist, artist, and inventor. During one of her visits in her mortal form, Lady Tienhai found herself intrigued by the prince’s abilities, deciding to stay in her mortal form to remain with the prince. Over time, they fell in love and got married. They spent many happy years together but eventually, Lady Tienhai’s time as a mortal had to come to an end. But right before she died, she pressed a kiss into the King’s wrist. When she pulled away, he looked down to see her name etched there, glowing and pulsing to the beat of his heart. She promised him that no matter what form she was in, their souls would always be connected to one another. And if he ever missed her, he simply had to glance down at his own hand, see her name etched on his wrist and know that for as long as he lived, her love for him did too.”

“And that,” Yasuko sighed, bringing her wrist down to let Asami trace over her father’s name, “is how soulmates were made. Right here in Republic City.”

I traced the letters of my father’s name in awe. What were the odds of finding your soulmate in the very city where they were created? I looked down at my empty wrist and ran my fingers over the faint blue-green veins there, veins that I prayed would one day hold the imprint of my soulmate’s name.

My mother brought my wrist up to her lips and kissed it.

“Your time will come, my sweet. And whoever they are, I am certain that they will be the most wonderful person that this world has to offer. Nothing but the best for my angel.”

“What if my soulmate’s a bender?” I asked, my mind racing with the possibilities of who the spirits, or Lady Tienhai, or whatever being was in charge of the soul matching process would possibly set me up with.

“That would be wonderful, wouldn’t it?” Yasuko smiled softly, easing herself off of my bed and adjusting the covers.

“Or what if it’s the Avatar?”

At that, she laughed, leaning down to kiss my forehead one last time.

“Now that’s something I’d pay to see. One element isn’t enough for you, is it dear? You want someone who can bend them all.” She tousled my hair before she got up, taking the candelabrum with her and making her way to my bedroom door.

I will never forget this last image of my mother. She was completely at peace, gazing at me from the doorway to my room. Her long black hair, loose and thick around her shoulders, the curve of her hips and her breasts in her white nightgown, the loving, motherly smile plastered across her face, her green eyes shining in the candlelight.

“Sweet dreams, my love. Your father will be back in the morning. We’ll take a ride around Republic City Park, all three of us. Maybe feed the turtle ducks in the pond. How does that sound?”

“That sounds wonderful, Mama.” I sighed, sinking my head down into my pillow and closing my eyes. Sleep would come easy to me that night.

I remember faintly hearing her mumble a response, most likely saying ‘I love you’ or ‘Good night’ again, something along those lines.

The door shut softly, enveloping me in complete darkness. The last emotion I registered was the nearly overwhelming excitement at what the next day would bring. And then, I slipped easily into the dream world.

* * *

_Smoke._

I remember waking up and choking on the thick blanket of fumes that wrapped around my room, suffocating me. I coughed and gagged for air, dropping down to the floor the way I had learned to do in primary school. Smoke rises, I remembered. The best thing to do was to stay low.

I called for my mother, desperately trying to ignore the terror that was clawing at my throat like a rabid wolfbat, teeth as sharp as knives. When I received no answer, I tried again, crawling my way to the door on all fours.

“Mama!? Mama, where are you?! What’s happening?” My voice shook with fear but still I pressed forward. My hand was on the knob of the door when I heard her scream, shrill and bloodcurdling.

“ _Please_!” Yasuko had yelled. “ _Please, don’t. I have a daughter._ ”

I stood up then, moved to action by the desperate tone in my mother’s voice, yanking the door open and tripping into the smothering heat of the hallway.

“Mama!”

I heard another scream, turned my head to the direction I heard it come from. I couldn’t see the fire, but spirits could I _feel_ it. The heat was nearly overwhelming in its intensity. There was a loud crack and then I felt a rumble as the top of the archway to the kitchen comes crashing down. I was hesitant about going towards the blaze until I heard my mother scream again, the sound bouncing off the walls of the foyer. Without thinking, I rushed down the staircase, felt the blistering heat underneath my feet as it rose from the bottom floor. As soon as I got downstairs, I was met with a horrifying scene.

My mother was on the ground on her knees, her hands held up and clasped together as she pleads with two mysterious men for her life. It’s two firebenders, one taller with black hair and pale skin, the other shorter and slightly tanner, the flames from the fire irradiating the highlights in his light brown hair. They stand over her as she begs for mercy, the matter of her life or death held completely in their hands.

“No one was supposed to be here. They promised the whole family was gone on vacation.” This was from the taller man, and he sounded irritated, as if he had somewhere better to be and coming to ransack my home was supposed to be a minor stop. His accomplice at least had the decency to seem more uneasy about the situation they had found themselves in. He glanced anxiously between my mother and the taller man, waiting to see what the latter would do. As young as I was, I could still see clearly the leader amongst the two.

There was another loud crash behind me, making them all whip their heads around to look in my direction.

“Asami! Asami, honey go back upstairs.” My mother sobbed. I could almost feel how much anguish she felt at that moment, the pain of having your child see you literally on your knees, begging for your life. Powerless, hopeless.

I didn’t respond. I was beginning to get a little lightheaded from all the smoke. All I wanted was to be wrapped up in my mother’s embrace again. For us to go back upstairs, watch her light the candle, take in the shadows coming back to life, dancing around my bedroom walls. I wanted to breathe again.

I took a small, tentative step forward but immediately stopped when the taller man yelled at me to stay put.

“Don’t come any closer!” He warned. His accomplice shook his head vehemently.

“Damn it Li, I didn’t sign up for this! There’s a Raava-damned child here. It was sposed to be a clean break-in, get the goods and roll out. None of whatever the hell this is!” He waved his hands exasperatedly.

“It’s not my fault they told us wrong. I wouldn’t have even started the fire if this one,” He jerks his head at my mother slightly, “Hadn’t tried to poke my eye out with that kitchen knife.” He spat in my mother’s directions. I clenched my fists together at my side, barely feeling my fingernails dig into the flesh of my palm.

“Please, you can take anything. Anything you want, just let me and my daughter go. _Please_.” My mother begged.

The shorter man looked at her uncertainly. “She seems sincere Li. Let’s just get the loot and get outta here. C’mon man.”

“No.” Li said, his voice clipped and blunt. “They’ve seen us. They could report us to the police.” He looked at me for a moment, contemplating. “The little one might not remember good…but her mother.” He sighed as if he sincerely regretted what he was about to do.

“No…please don’t. _Please_. I won’t speak a word of tonight, I swear it. I have a child. _Please_.” It’s my mother speaking now, her voice an octave higher, her energy focused on pleading for her life. Her eyes find mine through the blaze of the fire. It’s the last time I’ll ever see them.

“Li, come on man. Come on! You don’t have to do this!” His accomplice tries to reason with him, but it’s too late; Li has made up his mind.

Everything starts to blur around here.

I don’t remember whether Li lifted his hand and that’s what pushed me to move forward or whether me moving forward is what made him lift his hand. All I remember is hearing a scream, possibly my own, possibly my mother’s. There’s a searing pain in my side. At the moment, I can’t recall whether it’s my stomach, my hip, or my leg, but I feel it. I feel the heat of the fire as if it’s cutting right down into my bones, white-hot and sharp. I look down and see flickers of yellow and orange eating away at my clothes, my skin. I look up towards the ceiling, the brilliance of the light from the chandelier nearly blinding me, my vision starting to get fuzzy. The light seems to get brighter and brighter until finally I give in to the pain, closing my eyes and succumbing to the darkness.

The dreams I had were absolutely horrible. I was falling into everything, into nothing. There was no endpoint in sight, no visible crash point to indicate that I would land soon. It was as if gravity was pulling me down so harshly that I could barely get enough air into my lungs. I couldn’t hear, I couldn’t taste, I couldn’t smell, I couldn’t _see._ It didn’t matter whether I opened my eyes or closed them, I still saw nothing. It wasn’t even just pitch black; I literally just saw…nothing. It was like I didn’t exist.

I was just tumbling in between different dimensions, not really alive but also not quite dead. I hate that I can’t describe it better, but just know that it was terrifying. There was only hollowness, emptiness. The kind of empty that makes your stomach clench and your chest ache. My throat felt raw, as if I had been screaming nonstop for hours, days, yet when I opened my mouth to try and make any sort of sound, nothing came out.

After what felt like forever, I finally began to hear and feel things, but they were so terrible I genuinely believe that it would have been better to feel nothing. A million scorpion bees surrounded me. I felt their stings all over my body, could see the red of my blood from their bites trickling down my arms, my stomach, my legs, but I was powerless to stop them. I heard the grating caws of crane fish, could smell water, almost taste the saltiness of it, as if I was on a coastline somewhere. This went on for a while, me feeling and hearing things but not being able to move until suddenly I was able to lift my arm and shoo the scorpion bees away. Some stuck around my stomach but for the most part, I was finally free of them.

“Open your eyes for me, Asami.” A voice that sounded like my mother said. “You can do it sweetie. Open your eyes.”

And so, I did. My eyelids were so heavy, as if they were taped shut and I had to peel them open, but I did. And I saw her. Not my mother though, it was a different lady. She was leaning over me, clear brown eyes full of love and admiration, her hair brown and shiny, fanning out behind her as if it was floating. She smiled at me, gently lifted up my wrist and pressed a kiss to it. I felt my pulse quicken, could feel my heartbeat in my wrist.

“Wake up, Asami.” She said, a million voices said. In the distance, a crane fish let out another screech.

I woke up with a gasp, feeling an ache in my ribcage and my stomach. I looked down and took in my hospital gown, the various tubes and wires attached to my body, some sort of machine that was dripping liquid into a bag next to the bed I was in. The lights were so bright, and my throat was parched, like I hadn’t had a sip of water in months.

“Asami?”

I turned my head to my left as best as I could. My dad is leaning over the rail of the bed, bags under his red-brimmed eyes, his cheeks hollow, making his face appear sunken. I had never seen him like this before, so tired, so disheartened. I lifted my hand up to try and touch him, try to let him feel me and know that I’m there, I’m okay.

He sobbed and reached over the railing to scoop me up into a hug. Pain ripped through my body when his arm came into contact with the side of my stomach. I screamed, caught off guard. He cursed, hurriedly trying to rectify the situation and hold me from a different angle, but his fingernail accidentally scraped against my arm, sending another ripple of pain through me.

I screamed once more and then fell back into the darkness.

* * *

The funeral was closed casket, my mother’s body deemed too burnt and disfigured to be shown to a public audience. I remember standing at the casket by myself, staring at the picture of my mother they had set up next to the casket. Every now and then, I would feel a gentle hand on my shoulder, an affectionate pat on my head. I’m certain that these touches were accompanied with words of consolation, but I was too numb to hear them, could barely even feel the touches. I simply stared at my mother’s picture, surrounded by beautiful arrangements of crimson roses, chrysanthemums, and gladioli flowers. Already some of them were wilting, the summer heat becoming too much for them to handle.

I shed no tears as I watched them bury my mother in the ground, shoveling dirt on top of the white casket. Most people would notice the lack of tears and remark on my strength, my resilience. Truth be told, the fire had dried up all my tears that night; I did not cry, simply because I was unable to.

I ghosted a finger along the bandage wrapped around my stomach. The doctors said I would heal up fine, especially my arm, but a mark would be left on my stomach permanently. Another physical reminder of the new hole in my life.

My father kneeled down next to me, no tears on his face either. He hadn’t cried since I came back home from the hospital. I remember thinking that the fire must’ve sucked up all his tears too. Or maybe all the moisture in his body was replaced with the fire itself. I swear I could see it in his eyes, feel it in the warmth of his touch as he held my hand. His gaze seemed hot enough to burn a hole through my mother’s casket. He looked like he was calculating something, the same way I would often find him in his workshop, hunched over a blueprint littered with formulas and equations that I was too young to understand just yet.

We stayed there for a while, just me and my dad, watching as they shoveled pile after pile of dirt into the hole, until the white of the casket was no longer visible.

I turned my attention to my father, who was now staring at my mother’s name etched into his wrist, a permanent, physical reminder of his greatest love and loss.

“We will never get your mother back, Asami.” His voice was cold and harsh. I shivered at the sound of it, despite the warmth of the sun shining down on us.

“But I promise you, we will avenge her death. The cowards who did this to her, and anyone associated with them, will not get away with this. I swear it.”

I nodded and turned my attention back to the men shoveling dirt on top of my mother. He grabbed my hand again, squeezed it and held it firmly. And I swear I could feel it. I could feel the small tickle of a flame transfer between us, crawl its way up my arm and then settle into my ribcage, threatening, _promising_ to only grow as time went on, eating up any and everything that got in its path. 

* * *

Author’s note: I know this was probably hard to read, so this is just a reminder to the readers (and the historians) that I am doing okay now! Honestly, I promise. I just had to start from the beginning or else the story wouldn’t be complete. Now, please excuse me while I go drag my extremely distraught girlfriend out of our bathroom and force her to cuddle with me to let her know that I’m _fine!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the poll again! Boss Asami AU and Fake Dating AU are literally neck and neck, why do you guys hate me!? 😭
> 
> [Poll :)](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1-x2vIpmbHADk9lbmuWONTgNzYDJbr7FMlmziolyRVOU/edit)
> 
> I was trying to choose the one with a clear lead, like ahead by 10 or more votes but honestly I think I'm just gonna have to close it soon if I wanna start it before summer like I planned. Thanks for reading buddies, sending love! <3 <3 <3


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